Today we’d like to introduce you to Monica McCoy.
Hi Monica, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I enjoyed a thriving career with The Coca-Cola Company (receiving 12 promotions in 15 years) and served most recently as the Acting Global Director, Strategy and Innovation McDonald’s Division before launching my own business. I founded Monica Motivates, LLC in 2017 because I saw so much untapped potential in other women and underrepresented people who had much more to contribute but were often overlooked in traditional channels of development and advancement. Now, every day I get to do what I love: help individuals and organizations build capacity.
As a global consultancy, Monica Motivates, LLC offers coaching, business strategy and workshops to help women and underrepresented entrepreneurs and corporate professionals expand their skills and grow their opportunities. We help top companies develop their high-potential talent and connect them with diverse suppliers in mutually beneficial relationships.
Our mission is to close the opportunity gap, drive greater economic inclusion globally and maximize employee and supplier contributions to drive stronger organizational results. Through our targeted solutions, Monica Motivates now supports 38 Fortune 500 companies and household brands including The Coca-Cola Company, Microsoft, Santander and Porsche, helping them improve their supplier diversity and broaden access and advancement for historically underrepresented groups.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Starting your own business is a rollercoaster ride and I think I’ve experienced ten things that didn’t work out, or ten failures, for every big win. Of course, it’s never easy, but I really do try to celebrate failures because I consistently find that I learn so much more from those than I do from successes.
The key for me has been disciplining myself to view trial and error as crucial feedback and to actually prepare for failure by thinking about what we will do next and how we will counter setbacks when they inevitably come. That way, failure becomes learning that actually accelerates progress.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Monica Motivates, LLC, is a global business consultancy that offers coaching, business strategy and workshops to help women and underrepresented entrepreneurs and corporate professionals expand their skills and grow their opportunities. Founded in 2017 by Monica McCoy, it is based on the fundamental belief that an organization’s greatest capacity lies in its people, and with the determination to close the opportunity gap, drive greater economic inclusion globally and maximize employee and supplier contributions to drive stronger organization results.
Our company-specific programs help organizations take a fresh look at entrenched processes to find new ways to develop overlooked and underutilized talent. The BRIDGE trains and then connects underrepresented entrepreneurs in the commercial real estate sector with companies that need their goods and services. A Rural Accelerator addresses the rural-urban divide by helping larger, urban businesses connect with self-starters in rural communities where it can be hard to make a splash. Through Pitch University, entrepreneurs learn how to tell their stories, and Activate helps early career professionals develop more fully (and helps employers retain them). Robust supplier diversity programs teach founders how to compete for corporate contracts and then put them in front of senior decision-makers and purchasing agents to pitch their businesses.
We were also very proud to offer our 5th Annual Global Supplier Diversity Conference in 2022, both in person in Atlanta and virtually for small business owners around the world. It was sponsored once again this year by Porsche North America and was held at their offices. Participants heard directly from representatives from major companies such as Microsoft, AT&T, The Coca-Cola Company, Santander US, Capital Group and others about how to partner with them and create strong vendor relationships.
Today, 95% of top U.S. corporations have supplier diversity spending goals and at Monica Motivates we are very busy helping large companies figure out how to find and work with smaller, diverse suppliers. When big companies connect with diverse suppliers, they gain greater supply chain competitiveness, resilience and flexibility; access to more innovation; and introductions to new markets.
Our initiatives reflect a strong record of helping organizations identify, cultivate and access new talent sources and robust results in broadening opportunities for underrepresented entrepreneurs and corporate leaders.
We have offices in Atlanta, Georgia; Birmingham, Alabama; and Columbia, South Carolina and most recently made the strategic decision to take Monica Motivates, LLC international with the launch of our Europe, Middle East and Africa Business Unit (EMEA BU) and the opening of our London office.
We’ve even launched our own non-profit, Pivot Purposefully, to engage current and former business executives to equip formerly incarcerated women with strategies to found or grow their own businesses.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
There are so many things that come together to create positive outcomes. Something that has helped tilt the scales for me is my steadfast belief that progress is possible in almost every situation. I am a committed optimist and, for the most part, that serves me well. I recognize the hurdles that exist, especially for women and people of color, but I know with certainty that each of us will be more successful professionally and personally when we understand the challenges, master the skill sets required to overcome them, and have a champion who can help you appreciate and exploit your own potential. I am honored when I get to be that champion for others. I’m also a person of faith and that often sustains me.
Also, the more I progress in my career and in building Monica Motivates into a global consultancy, the more I respect the concepts of flexibility and adaptability. Establishing a clear direction, and setting goals in concert with that, is foundational. But once the journey begins, there are going to be twists and turns and you need to be ready to pivot. Every day, I encounter both unexpected obstacles and opportunities; the power comes in striking a balance between sheer persistence and creative adaptability. I call that giving your goals some “fluidity.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://monicamotivates.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monicamotivates/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MonicaMotivatesLLC/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/monicamotivates
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMonicaMotivates
